Causal effects of genetic birth weight and gestational age on adult esophageal diseases: Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have investigated the association between gestational age, birth weight, and esophageal cancer risk; however, causality remains debated. We aimed to establish causal links between genetic gestational age and birth weight traits and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), Barrett's esophagus (BE), and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA). Additionally, we explored if known risk factors mediate these links. AIM: To analyze of the relationship between gestational age, birth weight and GERD, BE, and EA. METHODS: Genetic data on gestational age and birth weight (n = 84689 and 143677) from the Early Growth Genetics Consortium and outcomes for GERD (n = 467253), BE (n = 56429), and EA (n = 21271) from genome-wide association study served as instrumental variables. Mendelian randomization (MR) and mediation analyses were conducted using MR-Egger, weighted median, and inverse variance weighted methods. Robustness was ensured through heterogeneity, pleiotropy tests, and sensitivity analyses. RESULTS: Birth weight was negatively correlated with GERD and BE risk [odds ratio (OR) = 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.69-0.8] and (OR = 0.75; 95%CI: 0.60-0.9), respectively, with no significant association with EA. No causal link was found between gestational age and outcomes. Birth weight was positively correlated with five risk factors: Educational attainment (OR = 1.15; 95%CI: 1.01-1.31), body mass index (OR = 1.06; 95%CI: 1.02-1.1), height (OR = 1.12; 95%CI: 1.06-1.19), weight (OR = 1.13; 95%CI: 1.10-1.1), and alcoholic drinks per week (OR = 1.03; 95%CI: 1.00-1.06). Mediation analysis showed educational attainment and height mediated the birth weight-BE link by 13.99% and 5.46%. CONCLUSION: Our study supports the protective role of genetically predicted birth weight against GERD, BE, and EA, independent of gestational age and partially mediated by educational attainment and height.

Melatonin mitigates cadmium toxicity by promoting root development, delaying root senescence, and regulating cadmium transport in cotton.

Cd ions are absorbed and transported from the soil by crop roots, which are the first organ to be exposed to Cd. This results in an increase in cadmium ions in crops, significantly affecting crop growth and yield. Exogenous melatonin (MT) can help reduce cadmium (Cd) stress in cotton, but the specific contribution of roots to this process remains unclear. In order to address this knowledge gap, an in-situ root phenotyping study was conducted to investigate the the phenotype and lifespan of roots under cadmium stress (Cd) and melatonin treatment (Cd + MT). The results showed that MT alleviated the decreases in plant height, leaf area, SPAD value, stem diameter, stomatal conductance and net photosynthetic rate under Cd stress, which further promoted the biomass accumulation in various cotton organs. What is more, the Cd + MT treatment increased root volume, surface area, and length under Cd stress by 25.63 %, 10.58 %, and 21.89 %, respectively, compared with Cd treatment. Interestingly, compared to Cd treatment, Cd + MT treatment also significantly extended the lifespan of roots and root hairs by 6.68 days and 2.18 days, respectively. In addition, Cd + MT treatment reduced the transport of Cd from roots to shoots, particularly to bolls, and decreased the Cd bioconcentration factor in bolls by 61.17 %, compared to Cd treatment. In conclusion, these findings show that applying MT externally helps reduce Cd stress by delaying root senescence, promoting root development and regulating Cd transport. This method can be an effective approach to managing Cd stress in cotton.

Better prognosis in surgical aortic valve replacement patients with lower red cell distribution width: A MIMIC-IV database study.

BACKGROUND: Surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) currently stands as a primary surgical intervention for addressing aortic valve disease in patients. This retrospective study focused on the role of the red blood cell distribution width (RDW) in predicting adverse outcomes among SAVR patients. METHODS: The subjects for this study were exclusively derived from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care database (MIMIC IV 2.0). Kaplan‒Meier (K-M) curves and Cox proportional hazards regression models were employed to assess the correlation between RDW, one-year mortality, and postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF). The smooth-fitting curves were used to observe the relative risk (RR) of RDW in one-year mortality and POAF. Furthermore, time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, the continuous-net reclassification index (NRI), and integrated discrimination improvement (IDI) were employed for comprehensive assessment of the prognostic value of RDW. RESULTS: Analysis of RDW revealed a distinctive inverted U-shaped relationship with one-year mortality, while its association with POAF appeared nearly linear. Cox multiple regression models showed that RDW > 14.35%, along with preoperative potassium concentration and perioperative red blood cell transfusion, were significantly linked to one-year mortality (K-M curves, log-rank P < 0.01). Additionally, RDW was associated with both POAF and prolonged hospital stays (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in length of stay in ICU. Notably, the inclusion of RDW in the predictive models substantially enhanced its performance. This was evidenced by the time-dependent ROC curve (AUC = 0.829), NRI (P< 0.05), IDI (P< 0.05), and K-M curves (log-rank P< 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: RDW serves as a robust prognostic indicator for SAVR patients, offering a novel means of anticipating adverse postoperative events.

Evaluation of drought-tolerant varieties based on root system architecture in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.).

BACKGROUND: Root system architecture (RSA) exhibits significant genetic variability and is closely associated with drought tolerance. However, the evaluation of drought-tolerant cotton cultivars based on RSA in the field conditions is still underexplored. RESULTS: So, this study conducted a comprehensive analysis of drought tolerance based on physiological and morphological traits (i.e., aboveground and RSA, and yield) within a rain-out shelter, with two water treatments: well-watered (75 ± 5% soil relative water content) and drought stress (50 ± 5% soil relative water content). The results showed that principal component analysis identified six principal components, including highlighting the importance of root traits and canopy parameters in influencing drought tolerance. Moreover, the systematic cluster analysis was used to classify 80 cultivars into 5 categories, including drought-tolerant cultivars, relatively drought-tolerant cultivars, intermediate cultivars, relatively drought-sensitive cultivars, and drought-sensitive cultivars. Further validation of the drought tolerance index showed that the yield drought tolerance index and biomass drought tolerance index of the drought-tolerant cultivars were 8.97 and 5.05 times higher than those of the drought-sensitive cultivars, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The RSA of drought-tolerant cultivars was characterised by a significant increase in average length-all lateral roots, a significant decrease in average lateral root emergence angle and a moderate root/shoot ratio. In contrast, the drought-sensitive cultivars showed a significant decrease in average length-all lateral roots and a significant increase in both average lateral root emergence angle and root/shoot ratio. It is therefore more comprehensive and accurate to assess field crop drought tolerance by considering root performance.

The crucial role of lateral root angle in enhancing drought resilience in cotton.

Introduction: Plant responses to drought stress are influenced by various factors, including the lateral root angle (LRA), stomatal regulation, canopy temperature, transpiration rate and yield. However, there is a lack of research that quantifies their interactions, especially among different cotton varieties. Methods: This experiment included two water treatments: well-watered (75 ± 5% soil relative water content) and drought stress (50 ± 5% soil relative water content) starting from the three-leaf growth stage. Results: The results revealed that different LRA varieties show genetic variation under drought stress. Among them, varieties with smaller root angles show greater drought tolerance. Varieties with smaller LRAs had significantly increased stomatal opening by 15% to 43%, transpiration rate by 61.24% and 62.00%, aboveground biomass by 54% to 64%, and increased seed cotton yield by 76% to 79%, and decreased canopy temperature by 9% to 12% under drought stress compared to the larger LRAs. Varieties with smaller LRAs had less yield loss under drought stress, which may be due to enhanced access to deeper soil water, compensating for heightened stomatal opening and elevated transpiration rates. The increase in transpiration rate promotes heat dissipation from leaves, thereby reducing leaf temperature and protecting leaves from damage. Discussion: Demonstrating the advantages conferred by the development of a smaller LRA under drought stress conditions holds value in enhancing cotton's resilience and promoting its sustainable adaptation to abiotic stressors.

Association Between Serum Uric Acid and Abdominal Aortic Calcification in Adults Aged 40 to 80 years: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study.

There are numerous causes of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC), among which the relationship between serum uric acid and AAC still needs to be investigated further. The aim of this research was to ascertain whether serum uric acid is correlated with AAC. Our study included 3007 participants. We described the study population characteristics and utilized univariate analysis, stratified analysis, multiple equation regression analysis, smoothed curve fitting, and threshold effects analysis. AAC Total 24 score is used to reflect the range of aortic calcification at each vertebral level. As serum uric acid increased, the AAC Total 24 score first decreased and then increased. The fold point is located when serum uric is at 3.5 mg/dL. After adjusting for 16 covariates, the beta values for the groups with moderate and high serum uric acid levels were 0.34 and 0.53, respectively, compared with the low serum uric acid tertile group (P < .05). Our research indicates a negative correlation between serum acid level and AAC when serum uric acid <3.5 mg/dl, but it is positively correlated with the formation of AAC when serum uric acid >3.5 mg/dl.

Tri-modified ferric alginate gel with high regenerative properties catalysts for efficient degradation of rhodamine B.

Water pollution caused by dyes has become a focal point of attention. Among them, the heterogeneous Fenton reaction has emerged as an effective solution to this problem. In this study, we designed a ferric alginate gel (PAGM) tri-modified with poly(vinyl alcohol), graphene oxide, and MoS2 as a heterogeneous Fenton catalyst for organic dye degradation. PAGM addresses the drawbacks of alginate gel, such as poor mechanical properties and gel chain dissolution, thereby significantly extending the catalyst's lifespan. The removal rate of rhodamine B by PAGM reached 95.5 % within 15 min, which was 5.9 times higher than that of unmodified ferric alginate gel. Furthermore, due to the π-π interactions, PAGM exhibits unique adsorption properties for pollutants containing benzene rings. Additionally, PAGM can be regenerated multiple times through a simple soaking procedure without any performance degradation. Finally, the reaction column constructed with PAGM maintained an 83.5 % removal rate even after 319 h of continuous wastewater treatment. This work introduces a novel concept for the study of alginate-based gel catalysts in heterogeneous Fenton reactions.

Micrometer-precision absolute distance measurement with a repetition-rate-locked soliton microcomb.

The soliton microcomb has sparked interest in high-precision distance measurement, owing to its ultrahigh repetition rate and chip-integrated scale. We report absolute distance measurements based on synthetic wavelength interferometry with a soliton microcomb. We stabilized the repetition rate of 48.98 GHz through injection locking, with fluctuations below 0.25 Hz. Distance measurements up to 64 mm were demonstrated, presenting residuals below 2.7 µm compared with a referenced laser interferometer. Long-term distance measurements were made at two fixed positions of approximately 0.2 m and 1.4 m, resulting in a minimum Allan deviation as low as 56.2 nm at an average time of 0.05 s. The dynamic demonstration illustrated that the proposed system could track round-trip motion of 3 mm at speeds up to 100 mm/s. The proposed distance measurement system is, to our knowledge, the first microcomb-based synthetic wavelength interferometer and achieves a ranging precision of tens of nanometers, with potential applications in the fields of satellite formation flying, high-end manufacturing, and micro-nano processing.

Response of in situ root phenotypes to potassium stress in cotton.

Potassium plays a significant role in the basic functions of plant growth and development. Potassium uptake is closely associated with morphological characteristics of the roots. However, the dynamic characteristics of phenotype and lifespan of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) lateral roots and root hairs under low and high potassium stress remain unclear. In this study, potassium stress experiments (low and high potassium, medium potassium as control) were conducted using RhizoPot (an in situ root observation device) to determine the response characteristics of lateral roots and root hairs in cotton under potassium stress. The plant morphology, photosynthetic characteristics, root phenotypic changes, and lifespan of lateral roots and root hairs were measured. Potassium accumulation, aboveground phenotype, photosynthetic capacity, root length density, root dry weight, root diameter, lateral root lifespan, and root hair lifespan under low potassium stress were significantly decreased compared to medium potassium treatment. However, the root hair length of the former was significantly increased than that of the latter. Potassium accumulation and the lateral root lifespan were significantly increased under high potassium treatment, while root length density, root dry weight, root diameter, root hair length, and root hair lifespan were significantly decreased compared to the medium potassium treatment. Notably, there were no significant differences in aboveground morphology and photosynthetic characters. Principal component analysis revealed that lateral root lifespan, root hair lifespan of the first lateral root, and root hair length significantly correlated with potassium accumulation. The root had similar regularity responses to low and high potassium stress except for lifespan and root hair length. The findings of this study enhance the understanding of the phenotype and lifespan of cotton's lateral roots and root hairs under low and high potassium stress.

Increased RNA editing sites revealed as potential novel biomarkers for diagnosis in primary Sjögren's syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Transcriptome-wide aberrant RNA editing has been shown to contribute to autoimmune diseases, but its extent and significance in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) are currently poorly understood. METHODS: We systematically characterized the global pattern and clinical relevance of RNA editing in pSS by performing large-scale RNA sequencing of minor salivary gland tissues obtained from 439 pSS patients and 130 non-pSS or healthy controls. FINDINGS: Compared with controls, pSS patients displayed increased global RNA-editing levels, which were significantly correlated and clinically relevant to various immune features in pSS. The elevated editing levels were likely explained by significantly increased expression of adenosine deaminase acting on RNA 1 (ADAR1) p150 in pSS, which was associated with disease features. In addition, genome-wide differential RNA editing (DRE) analysis between pSS and non-pSS showed that most (249/284) DRE sites were hyper-edited in pSS, especially the top 10 DRE sites dominated by hyper-edited sites and assigned to nine unique genes involved in the inflammatory response or immune system. Interestingly, among all DRE sites, six RNA editing sites were only detected in pSS and resided in three unique genes (NLRC5, IKZF3 and JAK3). Furthermore, these six specific DRE sites with significant clinical relevance in pSS showed a strong capacity to distinguish between pSS and non-pSS, reflecting powerful diagnostic efficacy and accuracy. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal the potential role of RNA editing in contributing to the risk of pSS and further highlight the important prognostic value and diagnostic potential of RNA editing in pSS.

Alterations in the intestinal microbiome and metabolic profile of patients with cirrhosis supplemented with lactulose, Clostridium butyricum, and Bifidobacterium longum infantis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Liver cirrhosis is commonly accompanied by intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic defects. Many clinical trials have shown microbiota-targeting strategies represent promising interventions for managing cirrhosis and its complications. However, the influences of the intestinal metagenomes and metabolic profiles of patients have not been fully elucidated. Methods: We administered lactulose, Clostridium butyricum, and Bifidobacterium longum infantis as a synbiotic and used shotgun metagenomics and non-targeted metabolomics to characterize the results. Results: Patients treated with the synbiotic for 12 weeks had lower dysbiosis index (DI) scores than placebo-treated patients and patients at baseline (NIP group). We identified 48 bacterial taxa enriched in the various groups, 66 differentially expressed genes, 18 differentially expressed virulence factor genes, 10 differentially expressed carbohydrate-active enzyme genes, and 173 metabolites present at differing concentrations in the Synbiotic versus Placebo group, and the Synbiotic versus NIP group. And Bifidobacteria species, especially B. longum, showed positive associations with many differentially expressed genes in synbiotic-treated patients. Metabolites pathway enrichment analysis showed that synbiotic significantly affected purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis. And the purine metabolism and aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis were no longer significant differences in the Synbiotic group versus the healthy controls group. In conclusion, although littles influence on clinical parameters in the early intervention, the synbiotic showed a potential benefit to patients by ameliorating intestinal dysbiosis and metabolic defects; and the DI of intestinal microbiota is useful for the evaluation of the effect of clinical microbiota-targeting strategies on cirrhotic patients. Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov, identifiers NCT05687409.

Morphological and Physiological Mechanisms of Melatonin on Delaying Drought-Induced Leaf Senescence in Cotton.

Leaf senescence reduces the photosynthetic capacity of leaves, thus significantly affecting the growth, development, and yield formation of cotton. Melatonin (MT) is a multipotent substance proven to delay leaf senescence. However, its potential mechanism in delaying leaf senescence induced by abiotic stress remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the effect of MT on delaying drought-induced leaf senescence in cotton seedlings and to clarify its morphological and physiological mechanisms. Drought stress upregulated the leaf senescence marker genes, destroyed the photosystem, and led to excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS, e.g., H2O2 and O2-), thus accelerating leaf senescence. However, leaf senescence was significantly delayed when 100 µM MT was sprayed on the leaves of the cotton seedlings. The delay was embodied by the increased chlorophyll content, photosynthetic capacity, and antioxidant enzyme activities, as well as decreased H2O2, O2-, and abscisic acid (ABA) contents by 34.44%, 37.68%, and 29.32%, respectively. MT significantly down-regulated chlorophyll degradation-related genes and senescence marker genes (GhNAC12 and GhWRKY27/71). In addition, MT reduced the chloroplast damage caused by drought-induced leaf senescence and maintained the integrity of the chloroplast lamellae structure under drought stress. The findings of this study collectively suggest that MT can effectively enhance the antioxidant enzyme system, improve photosynthetic efficiency, reduce chlorophyll degradation and ROS accumulation, and inhibit ABA synthesis, thereby delaying drought-induced leaf senescence in cotton.

A Centimeter-Scale Dielectric Metasurface for the Generation of Cold Atoms.

The single-beam magneto-optical trap (MOT) based on the diffractive optical element offers a new route to develop compact cold atom sources. However, the optical efficiency in the previous single-beam MOT systems is usually low and unbalanced, which will affect the quality of the trapped atoms. To solve this issue, we developed a centimeter-scale dielectric metasurface optical chip with dynamic phase distributions, which was used to split a single incident laser beam into five separate ones with well-defined polarization states and uniform energy distributions. The measured diffraction efficiency of the metasurface is up to 47%. A single-beam MOT integrated with the metasurface optical chip was then used to trap the 87Rb atoms with numbers ∼1.4 × 108 and temperatures ∼7.0 µK. The proposed concept in this work may provide a promising solution for developing ultracompact cold atom sources.

A method of cotton root segmentation based on edge devices.

The root is an important organ for plants to absorb water and nutrients. In situ root research method is an intuitive method to explore root phenotype and its change dynamics. At present, in situ root research, roots can be accurately extracted from in situ root images, but there are still problems such as low analysis efficiency, high acquisition cost, and difficult deployment of image acquisition devices outdoors. Therefore, this study designed a precise extraction method of in situ roots based on semantic segmentation model and edge device deployment. It initially proposes two data expansion methods, pixel by pixel and equal proportion, expand 100 original images to 1600 and 53193 respectively. It then presents an improved DeeplabV3+ root segmentation model based on CBAM and ASPP in series is designed, and the segmentation accuracy is 93.01%. The root phenotype parameters were verified through the Rhizo Vision Explorers platform, and the root length error was 0.669%, and the root diameter error was 1.003%. It afterwards designs a time-saving Fast prediction strategy. Compared with the Normal prediction strategy, the time consumption is reduced by 22.71% on GPU and 36.85% in raspberry pie. It ultimately deploys the model to Raspberry Pie, realizing the low-cost and portable root image acquisition and segmentation, which is conducive to outdoor deployment. In addition, the cost accounting is only $247. It takes 8 hours to perform image acquisition and segmentation tasks, and the power consumption is as low as 0.051kWh. In conclusion, the method proposed in this study has good performance in model accuracy, economic cost, energy consumption, etc. This paper realizes low-cost and high-precision segmentation of in-situ root based on edge equipment, which provides new insights for high-throughput field research and application of in-situ root.

Surgery offers survival advantage over radiotherapy in patients who are 80 years and older with Stage I and II NSCLC: A retrospective cohort study of 7,045 patients.

Objective: Elderly people are less likely than younger patients to undergo curative surgery for early-stage lung cancer because of the greater risk of surgery and postoperative complications. We investigated the relationship between treatment modality and the risk of all-cause and lung cancer-specific mortality to compare the efficacy of surgical treatment with radiotherapy in patients with stage I and II non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were ≥80 years old. Methods: We extracted data from the most recent Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 9 registry study database (2010-2017). We mainly selected patients with stage I and II NSCLC who were ≥80 years old, and after screening, 7,045 cases were selected for our study. We used univariate analysis, stratified analysis, and multiple regression equation analysis to examine all-cause mortality and lung cancer-specific mortality in different treatment modalities. The overall and stratified populations' survival curves were plotted using the Kaplan-Meier method. The competing risk regression method of Fine and Gray was used to estimate mortality specific to lung cancer. Results: In the fully adjusted model, all-cause mortality was 1.97 times higher in the radiotherapy-only group (hazard ration (HR) = 1.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.81-2.14, p < 0.0001) than in the surgery-only group. The lung cancer-specific mortality rate was 1.22 times higher in the radiotherapy-only group (HR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.13-1.32, p < 0.0001) than in the surgery-only group. The median overall survival (OS) in the surgery-only, radiation therapy-only, surgery plus radiation therapy, and no-treatment groups were 58 months, 31 months, 36 months, and 10 months, respectively. Median lung cancer-specific survival was 61 months, 32 months, 38 months, and 11 months, respectively. The surgery-only group had the highest 1-year OS (0.8679,95% CI = 0.8537-0.8824) and 5-year OS (0.4873, 95% CI = 0.4632-0.5126). Conclusions: Surgery had a higher overall and lung cancer-specific survival rate than radiotherapy and no treatment in the elderly early-stage NSCLC population. For patients with stage I and stage II NSCLC at advanced ages, surgical treatment might have a greater potential survival benefit.

RhizoPot platform: A high-throughput in situ root phenotyping platform with integrated hardware and software.

Quantitative analysis of root development is becoming a preferred option in assessing the function of hidden underground roots, especially in studying resistance to abiotic stresses. It can be enhanced by acquiring non-destructive phenotypic information on roots, such as rhizotrons. However, it is challenging to develop high-throughput phenotyping equipment for acquiring and analyzing in situ root images of root development. In this study, the RhizoPot platform, a high-throughput in situ root phenotyping platform integrating plant culture, automatic in situ root image acquisition, and image segmentation, was proposed for quantitative analysis of root development. Plants (1-5) were grown in each RhizoPot, and the growth time depended on the type of plant and the experimental requirements. For example, the growth time of cotton was about 110 days. The imaging control software (RhizoAuto) could automatically and non-destructively image the roots of RhizoPot-cultured plants based on the set time and resolution (50-4800 dpi) and obtain high-resolution (>1200 dpi) images in batches. The improved DeepLabv3+ tool was used for batch processing of root images. The roots were automatically segmented and extracted from the background for analysis of information on radical features using conventional root software (WinRhizo and RhizoVision Explorer). Root morphology, root growth rate, and lifespan analysis were conducted using in situ root images and segmented images. The platform illustrated the dynamic response characteristics of root phenotypes in cotton. In conclusion, the RhizoPot platform has the characteristics of low cost, high-efficiency, and high-throughput, and thus it can effectively monitor the development of plant roots and realize the quantitative analysis of root phenotypes in situ.

Robust single-sideband-modulated Raman light generation for atom interferometry by FBG-based optical rectangular filtration.

Low-phase-noise and pure-spectrum Raman light is vital for high-precision atom interferometry by two-photon Raman transition. A preferred and prevalent solution for Raman light generation is electro-optic phase modulation. However, phase modulation inherently brings in double sidebands, resulting in residual sideband effects of multiple laser pairs beside Raman light in atom interferometry. Based on a well-designed rectangular fiber Bragg grating and a plain electro-optic modulator, optical single-sideband modulation has been realized at 1560 nm with a stable suppression ratio better than -25 dB despite of intense temperature variations. After optical filtration and frequency doubling, a robust phase-coherent Raman light at 780 nm is generated with a stable SNR of better than -19 dB and facilitates measuring the local gravity successfully. This FBG-based all-fiber single-sideband-modulated Raman light source, proposed for the first time and characterized as robust, compact and low-priced, is practical and potential for field applications of portable atom interferometry.

Microbiota dysbiosis in primary Sjögren's syndrome and the ameliorative effect of hydroxychloroquine.

The human microbiome plays an important role in autoimmune diseases. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the microbiota in individuals with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). Here, we perform 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of fecal, oral, and vaginal samples from a cohort of 133 individuals with pSS, 56 with non-pSS, and 40 healthy control (HC) individuals. Dysbiosis in the gut, oral, and vaginal microbiome is evident in patients with pSS, and oral samples demonstrate the greatest extent of microbial variation. Multiple key indicator bacteria and clinical characteristics are identified across different body sites, implying that microbial dysbiosis has important roles in the pathogenesis of pSS. Furthermore, we observe pSS-like dysbiosis in individuals with pre-clinical pSS or non-pSS-related disease, revealing that microbial shifts could appear prior to pSS. After hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) treatment, microbial dysbiosis in individuals with pSS is partially resolved, although the microbiota composition remain disordered. These results contribute to the overall understanding of the relationship between the microbiome and pSS.

Agile offset frequency locking for single-frequency fiber lasers.

Single frequency fiber lasers (SFFLs) have seen increasing applications in state-of-the-art quantum technologies, which usually require precise and stable offset frequency locking (OFL). However, limited by the piezoelectric transducer bandwidth in SFFLs and the loop bandwidth of the OFL, the large-gap jumping between two locked offset frequencies will take an undesirable amount of time. In order to diminish that consuming time, we developed an agile offset frequency locking system based on a hybrid loop of a feed-forward path and a feedback path. In accordance with the experimental demonstration, we characterized the performances of the offset frequency locking system, as frequency-locking stability with an Allan deviation of 3.2 × 10-14 at 1 s averaging time and jumping agility with a duration of 0.6 ms at 1.3 GHz frequency gap, which is a factor of 60 faster than that without the feed-forward path. This mechanism can find direct applications in existing quantum metrology experiments with SFFLs where high-speed frequency jumping or sweeping is needed.

Seed Priming With Melatonin Promotes Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of Triticale hexaploide L. Under PEG-6000 Induced Drought Stress.

Melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine, MT) can mitigate abotic stress, including drought stress on a number of crops. However, it is unclear whether and how seed priming with melatonin alleviates the effects of drought stress on seed germination and seedling growth of triticale (Triticale hexaploide L.). In this study, we investigated the effects of seed priming with MT on seed germination, protective enzyme activity, superoxide anion, and hydrogen peroxide in triticale under PEG-6000 induced drought stress. Seed priming with 20 µM MT alleviated the adverse effects of PEG-6000 induced drought stress on seed germination and seedling growth. Triticale seeds primed with 20 µM MT exhibited improved germination potential, germination rate, germ and radicle length. Specifically, MT priming increased the germination rate by 57.67% compared with unprimed seeds. Seed priming with melatonin also alleviated the adverse effects of PEG-6000 induced drought stress on triticale seedlings. MT pretreatment with 20 µM significantly increased the net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, plant height, leaf area, and relative chlorophyll concentration, enhanced the activities of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase, and decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malonaldehyde content in the seeds (germ and radicle) and seedlings (leaf and root). Collectively, these results suggest that seed priming with melatonin promotes ROS scavenging capacity and enhances energy supply and antioxidant enzyme activities to alleviate the adverse effects of drought stress in triticale.